Daily GK Updates - 10th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. India’s first electric locomotive flagged off: Prime Minister flagged off the country’s first high-powered electric locomotive assembled in Madhepura in Bihar. This first locomotive is part of a joint venture of the railways with Alstom, signed in 2015 and the first major FDI project in the rail sector. India will join countries like Russia, China, Germany and Sweden that have 12,000 horsepower & above capacity electric locomotives.

2. Andhra Pradesh becomes the second state to get happiness department: The Andhra Pradesh government will soon constitute a Happiness Commission that will take up a series of programmes to promote “happiness” in the state. The commission, which will work under the department of planning, will be headed by Chief Minister. AP became the second state in the country to introduce an exclusive ministry for happiness in April 2017. Madhya Pradesh is the first state.

3. Goa govt to launch app-based taxi service: The Goa government has decided to launch its own app-based taxi service to some key tourist destinations in the coastal state. The state-run Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) invited the taxi operators to register with the new mobile application-based transport service.

4. Fast-track court to try drug cases in Manipur: Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh inaugurated a special court at Cheirap Court Complex in Imphal to try drug-related cases. The fast-track court will facilitate the speedy trial of offences relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

5. DGAAD imposes anti-dumping duty on phosphorus pentoxide: Based on the recommendation of the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties, the revenue department has imposed an anti-dumping duty on import of Phosphorus Pentoxide from China. The duty has been imposed for five years. Phosphorus Pentoxide is used as a powerful desiccant and dehydrating agent and is a useful building block and reagent in the chemical industry.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Homoeopathy Day to be observed: A two-day scientific convention is being organised in New Delhi by Ministry of AYUSH on the occasion of World Homoeopathy Day, on 10-11th April 2018. World Homoeopathy Day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann. The theme of this convention is “Innovate: Evolve; Progress: Exploring Science since 40 years”.

2. India-Nepal agree to develop inland waterways: India and Nepal recognised the untapped potential of inland waterways, in order to contribute towards the overall economic development of the region. Prime Minister of India and Nepal took the landmark decision to develop the inland waterways for the movement of cargo. The new initiative would enable cost-effective and efficient movement of cargo.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. NABARD comes out with PCA for RRBs: NABARD has come out with a ‘Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework’ for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). The framework is aimed at enabling RRBs that fail to meet prudential requirements like capital adequacy to take self-corrective action. The PCA will be invoked if RRBs fail to meet the ‘capital to risk-weighted assets ratio’, assets (NPAs), and profitability (return on assets).

2. SBI launches UK subsidiary: The SBI has announced the launch of its UK subsidiary, SBI (UK) Limited, with an initial capital commitment of 225 million pounds from its parent entity. SBI became the first foreign bank in the UK to segregate its retail division from its wholesale business. SBI operates seven branches in London.

SPORTS:

1. Heena Sidhu won gold medal in 25m Pistol: Heena Sidhu won India’s 11th gold medal in pistol shooting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Heena Sidhu has become the first Indian athlete to win two medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. India has so far won 20 medals, including eleven gold, four silver and five bronze.

2. Lionel Messi named UN Tourism ambassador: The UN World Tourism Organization has appointed FC Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi as an ambassador to promote responsible tourism. The UN body defines “responsible tourism” as tourism that “helps maximise the sector’s benefits”.

Daily GK Updates - 9th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian President awarded with the highest civilian honour of Equatorial Guinea:  President Ram Nath Kovind was conferred with the “Condecoracion”, the highest honour accorded to a non-citizen by the government of Equatorial Guinea. President Kovind was bestowed with the medal of the ‘Gran Colar de la Independencia’ by the President of Equatorial Guinea. The award was given for his contribution to the cause of development, security and world peace.

2. Patna tops in 4G connectivity – OpenSignal Report: Patna topped in 4G connectivity among 20 of India’s largest cities. It has emerged ahead of the cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, said a report from OpenSignal, a wireless coverage mapping company.

3. PM Ujjwala Yojana inaugurated in Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme in Delhi on 7th April and distributed new LPG connections and cylinders to beneficiaries here. During the event, about 400 LPG connections were handed over to families belonging to below poverty line category. The PMUY was launched at Yamuna Sports Complex in the national capital.

4. Haryana Govt. to support TB patients: Haryana government has decided to provide special benefits, including nutritional support, to tuberculosis patients in an effort to eliminate the infectious disease by 2025. The government would provide nutritional support of Rs 500 per month during treatment to notified TB patients. Free services would be provided to TB patients in government hospitals of Haryana, including X-Ray.

5. Free chemotherapy in 10 Maharashtra districts: The Maharashtra state government will introduce free chemotherapy facility in 10 districts from June. This facility will be made available at district hospitals of Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Pune, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik, Wardha, Satara, Bhandara and Akola in the first phase. The initiative would help patients save in lodging and travelling expenses.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline launched: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli launched the Rs 3.24 billion India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline from Motihari, Bihar to Amlekhgunj, Nepal on 7th April. This is the first international cross-country pipeline project in India. The Motihari-Amlekhgunj Pipeline project was approved by Indian Oil in September 2015.

2. Hungarian elections - PM Orban’s party wins: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition won the general elections in Hungary on 8th April. Former radical Jobbik party came second with 20% of the vote, and MSZP-P (Socialist-Dialogue) third with 12.13%

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. UAE, Malaysia conclude military exercise, Desert Tiger: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia concluded “Desert Tiger 5” joint military exercise aimed at sharing expertise and enhancing joint military actions. The Desert Tiger series is an annual joint exercise between the two countries.

SPORTS:

1. Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in his 200th race start. It was Vettel’s second win in as many races this season, the 49th of his career.

2. Mehuli Ghosh clinches silver medal in Shooting at CWG: Indian shooters Mehuli Ghosh and Apurvi Chandela bagged silver and bronze respectively in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle competition at Commonwealth Games 2018. Singapore bagged the gold medal.

With this feat, India now stands third on the points table with 17 medals in total, including seven in shooting alone.

3. Weightlifter Pardeep wins silver at CWG: Indian weightlifter Pardeep Singh won a silver medal in the sport at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018. Last year, Pardeep had claimed a surprise gold medal in his first senior competition in the 105kg category.

4. Shooters bag gold, bronze for India: Indian shooters Jitu Rai and Om Prakash Mitharwal won gold and bronze medals respectively at Commonwealth Games 2018. In the men’s 10m air pistol event at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018, Rai shot a total of 235.1 points, thus, registering a new Games record. Mitharwal bagged the silver medal after shooting a total of 214.3 points.

India has won five medals so far in shooting alone.

5. Manika Batra won gold medal in Table Tennis: Manika Batra inspired India to a historic gold medal with her stunning singles victories, as she defeated defending champions Singapore 3-1 to claim the gold medal in TT at Commonwealth Games 2018. This is India’s first ever gold at the multi-sport event.

Daily GK Updates - 8th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. India’s forex reserves at all time high: The country’s foreign exchange reserves hit a life-time high of 424.361 billion US dollar. Previously, the reserves had touched a record high of 421.914 billion dollar on February 9, 2018. Gold reserves remained unchanged at 21.614 billion US dollar.

2. Anushka Sharma wins Dadasaheb Excellence Award: Anushka Sharma will be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award 2018 for being a path-breaking producer. The actress has been appreciated for breaking new grounds as a film producer, along with her brother Karnesh Sharma. Three movies produced by Anushka, NH 10, Phillauri and Pari belonged to three different genres, thriller, romance and horror.

3. Tripura launches the state version of PMKVY: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has launched the state component of Pradhanmantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) in Agartala. He has assured that the target to give training to more than 1 lakh 16,000 youths by 2020 will be achieved. Tripura is the first state in the country to implement pilot project for accreditation for skilled candidates.

4. Kerala to issue brain death certificate: Kerala has become the first state to adopt a standard operating procedure (SOP) for determining brain death cases. According to the SOP, a medical board comprising four doctors-at least one should be from the government service-will be authorised to declare a patient brain dead. To check any misuse, the SOP defines brain dead and state of coma in detail.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. UK’s first permanent Middle East military base: UK has opened its first permanent military base in the Middle East in more than 4 decades in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. The £40m UK Naval Support facility ‘Jufair’ at Mina Salman will be staffed by up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Both the countries hope that this base will increase military cooperation between the Royal Navy and its Bahraini counterpart.

2. Japan activated its 1st marine unit since WW2: Japan has activated its 1st marine unit since 2nd World War to counter invaders from occupying Japanese islands. The Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade is the latest component of a growing marine force that includes amphibious ships & assault vehicles. After WW2, a clause was written into Japan’s constitution which stated that armed forces with potential to wage war would not be maintained.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Indo-Korean joint exercise SAHYOG- HYEOBLYEOG: Indo-Korean joint anti-piracy, search & rescue exercise ‘SAHYOG- HYEOBLYEOG 2018’ was conducted off the Chennai coast. The joint exercise is a part of ongoing cooperative arrangements b/w the 2 coast guards for the past 12 years. The exercise aims to develop working level co-operation & enhance inter-operability in the fields of maritime search & rescue, anti-piracy operations.

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. NASA’s first flight to Sun: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe — humanity’s first mission to the Sun — is undergoing final preparations. The mission is scheduled for launch on July 31, 2018. Parker Solar will orbit directly through the solar atmosphere – the corona – closer to the surface than any human-made object has ever gone.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. ICICI Bank becomes the first bank to live on SWIFT’s new payment service: ICICI Bank has become first Indian bank to go live on SWIFT’s Global Payment Innovation, an improved cross-border payments service. The service enables real-time payments tracking across correspondent banks & has a facility to track payments instructions across correspondent banks globally. The announcement of the service comes weeks after the discovery Rs 12,900-crore Nirav Modi scam at PNB

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. CCI may be a trouble for Flipkart-Amazon merger: The possible coming together of online retailers Amazon and Flipkart is likely to face close scrutiny on competition issues.

Engaged in intense competition, home-grown Flipkart and Amazon India are leading players in the Indian online retail market place. The combined market share of the two parties, which is around 80 percent is most likely to  pose challenges to the deal.

Daily GK Updates - 7th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Two new languages discovered in India: A professor of the University of Hyderabad has discovered two new languages- ‘Walmiki and Malhar’. These languages are spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Walmiki is spoken in Koraput of Odisha and on the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh. The second language Malhar is spoken in a remote and isolated hamlet about 165 km away from Bhubaneswar.

2. ‘Quit Addiction’ helpline number on all tobacco products: All tobacco products will have a national toll-free number printed on them from September tto assist users to quit the addiction. The toll-free number will help in creating awareness among tobacco users and give them access to counselling services to effect behaviour change. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified new sets of health warnings for all tobacco product packs.

3. Govt. bans the import of “love hormone” oxytocin: The Union government banned imports of the hormone oxytocin to stop its misuse in the livestock industry. It causes hormonal imbalances and shortens the lives of milch animals. Oxytocin is released naturally in the human body and is often called as “love hormone”. The government has decided to rely on domestic production to satisfy requirements of the hormone.

4. Ganga Hariteema Yojana launched in UP: In Uttar Pradesh, “Ganga Hariteema Yojana” (Ganga Greenery Scheme) has been launched in 27 districts of the state located on the bank of river Ganga. The objectives of the schemes include enhancing green cover in the catchment areas of the river Ganga and to control the land erosion. Plantation will be carried out in one-kilometre areas from the banks of the river under the scheme.

5. “Uzhavan” App for farmers launched by TN government: Tamil Nadu government has launched the bi-lingual “Uzhavan” (farmer) app that will allow ryots to have access to nine types of services. The app can be used by farmers to get information on farm subsidies, book farm equipment and details about crop insurance. The app is available in Tamil and English language & includes information on the availability of seeds and fertilisers at stores.

6. “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan” on Ambedkar Jayanti: The Prime Minister has announced that on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti a “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan” would be organised starting from 14th April to 5th May 2018. This Abhiyan will reach out to poor households, spreading awareness about government welfare schemes and other initiatives. Universal coverage under 7 welfare programmes in 21058 villages has been contemplated under this Abhiyan.

7. Chhattisgarh awarded ‘State of the Year’ at IBL awards: Chhattisgarh bagged the ‘State of the Year’ Award under the ‘business leader” category as part of the India Business Leadership for the increase in business and services activities. Union Information Technology and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave the award at India Business Leader Awards. Chhattisgarh has been ranked 4th in World Bank’s list of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

8. First tulip garden in Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu got its first tulip garden at Sanasar in Ramban district of Jammu region. This is the first tulip garden of Jammu region and second after the tulip garden of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The garden has been set up on half an acre area of land adjacent to the Sanasar lake.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Health Day observed: The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of World Health Organization. This year marks the 70th anniversary of World Health Day. The theme for this year was “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere” and the slogan is “Health for All”.

2. Sugar tax comes in UK to save children from tooth decay: Britain rolled out a sugar tax on soft drinks in an attempt to tackle obesity and tooth decay in children. All revenues raised through the tax will directly fund new sports facilities in schools as well as healthy breakfast clubs. The other countries which have introduced such similar taxes are Mexico, France and Norway.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. IAF’s biggest combat exercise “Gagan Shakti” to be held: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is going to conduct its biggest ever combat exercise along Pakistan and China borders. The exercise – Gagan Shakti, 2018- will take place from April 10 to 23. For the first time, the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will be taking part in the exercise and will perform both the offensive and defensive roles.

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. RH300 sounding rocket launched from Kerala: The RH300 sounding rocket, developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as part of a study to enrich available atmospheric data, was launched on 6th April from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Kerala. This was the 21st launch of RH300 sounding rocket. The RH-300 MKII sounding rocket is utilised to study the Equatorial and lower ionosphere regions of the atmosphere.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. FPI investment limit in Govt Securities hiked: The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the Government, hiked the foreign portfolio investors (FPI) investment limit in Central government securities (G-Sec). FPIs will now be allowed to invest up to 5.5% of outstanding stock of G-secs in 2018-19 and 6% of outstanding stock of securities in 2019-20. The central bank also set a 9% limit for FPI investment in corporate bonds.

SPORTS:

1. Paes becomes most successful doubles player: Leander Paes created a new world record by becoming the most successful doubles player in Davis Cup history after winning his 43rd match. Paes combined with Rohan Bopanna to create the new record.

He made his Davis Cup debut in 1990 alongside Zeeshan Ali. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi weaved the longest unbeaten winning streak of 24 matches.

2. Sathish Sivalingam wins Gold medal at CWG 2018: Weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam won the gold medal by winning the men’s 77kg event at Commonwealth Games 2018. In the previous Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Sathish had won gold. Hence he became the first ever male Indian weightlifter to win gold in two different editions of the Commonwealth Games.

Daily GK Updates - 6th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Delhi and Maharashtra top in the list of Hospitality Index by Airbnb: Global hospitality chain Airbnb announced that New Delhi and Maharashtra have been recognised as the most hospitable city and state respectively, according to its Hospitality Index. As per the index, the most hospitable states were Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala. New Delhi led the charts as the most hospitable city in the country, followed closely by Jaipur, Cochin and Mumbai.

2. “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” at Bijapur launched: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has approved establishment of the first multipurpose “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” on the pilot basis for establishment in Bijapur  District of Chhattisgarh. The Kendra will provide skill and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing facility. The Kendra will have processing facility for Tamarind brick making & Mahua flower storage facility.

3. Ministry of Coal launched UTTAM APP: Ministry of Coal launched ‘UTTAM App’ for Coal Quality Monitoring. UTTAM stands for – Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal (uttam.coalindia.in). The Ministry of Coal and Coal India Limited (CIL) developed UTTAM, aims to provide an App for all citizens and coal consumers to monitor the process of Third Party Sampling of coal across CIL subsidiaries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India, Azerbaijan sign two documents: India and Azerbaijan have inked two documents for the visa waiver for diplomatic, official and service passports holders and cooperation between diplomatic training institutes. The agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to that country. Mrs Swaraj is there to be part of 18th NAM Ministerial Conference in Baku.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Sanjeev Nautiyal is the MD & CEO of SBI Life: SBI Life Insurance Company Limited appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as its new MD and CEO. Sanjeev Nautiyal started his career with State Bank of India in 1985 as a probationary officer in bank’s Lucknow circle. In the immediately preceding assignment, he was the Chief General Manager of the bank’s Ahmedabad circle.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Monetary Policy Review: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5th April kept the repo rate and reverse repo rate unchanged at 6 percent and 5.75 percent respectively. The real Gross Domestic Product growth in FY19 is seen at 7.4 percent as against 6.6 percent in FY18. The RBI revised CPI inflation projection for 2018-19 to 4.7-5.1% in the first half of the financial year and 4.4% in the second half.

2. RBI bars banks from crypto-currency related services: RBI directed all regulated entities including banks not to provide services to businesses dealing in virtual currencies like bitcoins, so as to protect consumers and check money laundering. The RBI asked entities, which are already into such services to stop providing this kind of services within three months. The RBI has directed all payment system operators to store all data within India.

3. RBI defers implementation of Indian Accounting Standards adoption by 1 year: The Reserve Bank of India has deferred the adoption of ‘Indian Accounting Standards’ (Ind AS) by banks, for a year, due to the unpreparedness of banks to migrate to the new accounting system. The earlier deadline for banks to switch to the Ind AS was from 1 April 2018. Ind-AS is a global accounting practice that lenders are mandated to adopt that may lead to initial credit losses.

4. RBI decides to set up Data Sciences Lab: Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up Data Sciences Lab to improve its forecasting, surveillance and early warning detection abilities which will aid policy formulation. RBI said the lab will comprise experts and budding analysts, who are trained in Computer Science, Data Analytics, Statistics, Economics, Econometrics and Finance. The unit will become operational by December 2018.

SPORTS:

1. Weightlifter Deepak Lather wins bronze medal at CWG: Indian weightlifter Deepak Lather won the bronze medal in the men’s 69 kg category on the Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games. Gareth Evans of Wales claimed gold medal while Sri Lanka’s Indika won the silver medal. India till now has four medals at the Gold Coast Games and all four have come from weightlifting.

2. Sanjita Chanu won gold medal at CWG 2018: Weightlifter Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu won India its second gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games by outshining in the women’s 53 kg category event. She set a new record in the game by lifting a total of 192 kgs which includes 84 kgs in a snatch and 108 kgs in clean and jerk.

Daily GK Updates - 5th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. National Maritime Day of India observed: The National Maritime Day in India is observed on April 5 every year. The National Maritime Day is observed annually to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian owned ship “SS Loyalty” which sailed from Bombay to London in 1919. In 2018, the theme of the National Maritime Day is ‘Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity’.

2. EC to set up Sakhi Polling Booths: The Election Commission (EC) will set up Sakhi/Pink polling booths for the first time in the Karnataka assembly elections. These pink polling booths will have completely female staff including presiding officers, polling officers, micro observers and security personnel. The pink booths are aimed at empowering women and increasing their participation in the poll process.

3. AIIB Conference held in Vishakhapatnam: The second lead-up Conference to 3rd Annual Meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on ‘Enhancing Port and Coastal Infrastructure’ was held in Visakhapatnam. The Conference was organized by the Ministry of Finance, AIIB, CII and Research and Infrastructure System for Developing Countries.

4. CCI to have 3 members only: The Cabinet approved rightsizing of Competition Commission of India (CCI) by halving the number of its members to three. CCI currently has one chairperson and six members. It will now have one chairperson and three members. This would lead to “faster turnaround in hearings” that is expected to result in speedier approvals.

5. India ranked third in facing “most cyber threats”: India ranked third in the list of countries where the highest number of cyber threats were detected, and second in terms of targeted attacks in 2017, according to security software firm Symantec. India was ranked second globally when it comes to spam and phishing (misleading emails, weblink etc). Symantec detected 133 targeted attacks in India which are the work of organised groups.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. India, Azerbaijan sign two documents: India and Azerbaijan have inked two documents for the visa waiver for diplomatic, official and service passports holders and cooperation between diplomatic training institutes. The agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to that country. Mrs Swaraj is there to be part of 18th NAM Ministerial Conference in Baku.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. X plane to be developed by NASA: NASA is set to develop an ‘X-plane’ designed to fly faster than the speed of sound without producing the noise typical of supersonic flights. The X-plane’s mission is to provide crucial data that could enable commercial supersonic passenger air travel over land. The X-plane makes a quiet sonic boom due to its unique shape and design.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. NRDC to develop ASEAN technology data bank: The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) will establish a technology data bank for ASEAN region as part of ASEAN-India Innovation Platform. The corporation has been entrusted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to manage the platform for a period of four years. The proposed data bank will link existing data banks of available technologies in the ASEAN region.

2. Flipkart signs a pact with Make My Trip (MMT): Flipkart and MakeMyTrip (MMT) have struck a partnership wherein the online retailer will start to sell travel services on its platform. MakeMyTrip’s multiple brands, including MMT, Goibibo and redBus, will leverage the large customer base of Flipkart platform to drive online bookings in travel services. The new partnership will start with domestic flight, hotels, bus and holidays bookings.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. IndusInd Bank got RBI nod to acquire IL&FS: Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has received RBI’s approval to buy the securities services arm of IL&FS. In March 2017, the bank entered an agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) to acquire 100% stake in ISSL. Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) is the promoter shareholder of IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL).

SPORTS:

1. Mirabai Chanu wins gold in women’s weightlifting at CWG: Mirabai Chanu secured India’s first gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she finished first in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting event at Gold Coast. Mirabai Chanu broke the Commonwealth Games’ weightlifting record by lifting 196 kg. The previous Games’ record was 175 kg set by Augustine Nwaokolo of Nigeria in 2010. This is her 2nd CWG medal following the silver she won in Glasgow.

2. P.Gururaja wins silver medal in Weightlifting in 56 kg category: Weightlifter P Gururaja opened India’s medal account on the first competition day of the 21st Commonwealth Games by winning the silver medal in Weightlifting. In the 56 kilogram category, P Gururaja lifted a total weight of 249 kg to finish second in the event. Malaysia took the Gold medal, while Sri Lanka got the Bronze medal.

Daily GK Updates - 4th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. IIM Ahmedabad, IISc Bengaluru, JNU among top 10 universities according to NIRF: The Indian Institute of Science is India’s top university followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Banaras Hindu University, declared the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The NIRF which works under the Ministry of Human Resource Development released the list of top 10 universities in the country. All the top three universities retained their previous year rank.

2. India’s first blockchain implemented: The platforms—RXIL, A.TReDS and M1xchange—approved by the RBI had been set up to bring together buyers, sellers and financiers for discounting the MSME invoices and provide them with timely funding. This is billed as India’s first live blockchain implementation in the enterprise financial segment. US-based MonetaGo has designed and implemented the production solution.

3. Indian scientist Shyam Salim gets global recognition: Shyam S Salim, Principal Scientist at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), has been elected as an executive member of the ‘International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade’ (IIFET) based in the USA. Shyam is an expert in fisheries economics at CMFRI. IIFET is the forum for the exchange of research, information, and ideas on the economics of fisheries management.

4. “Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” launched: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS) launched “Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” campaign in New Delhi. It is a nationwide campaign and will culminate on 10th of this month marking the 100th year of Champaran Satyagraha. The campaign commemorates Champaran Satyagraha to spread the message of Swachhata across the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. International Mines Awareness Day observed: International Day for Mines Awareness is observed to spread the awareness about the threat caused by landmines to the safety, health and lives of civilian populations. The theme for 2018 is “Advancing Protection, Peace and Development”. On 8 December 2005, the UN declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. Icarus, the farthest star ever seen: Scientists have detected the most distant star, Icarus, ever viewed, located more than halfway across the universe. The star was formally named MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star-1. Scientists used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to spot the star. The star is 9.3 billion lights years away from Earth and it is about twice as hot as our sun.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Jio Payments Bank began operations: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that Jio Payments Bank has commenced its banking services. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) was one of the 11 applicants which were issued the in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank in August 2015. Telecom major Bharti Airtel was the first to begin payment bank services in November 2016.

2. MoU between Indian Army and HDFC Bank: A Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and HDFC Bank on the Defence Salary Package. The first MoU between HDFC Bank and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was renewed on 13 Mar 2015. Indian Army has MoUs on Defence Salary Package with 11 public and private sector banks.

SPORTS:

1. 21st edition of Commonwealth Games inaugurated in Australia: The 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games commenced in Gold Coast, Australia. The inaugural ceremony was held at the Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast. For the first time, there will be the same number of men’s and women’s medal events at the Games. The Indian contingent at the ceremony, which consists of over 200 athletes, was led by flag-bearer P V Sindhu, the Rio Olympic silver medallist.

2. India’s Selena, Shreya clinched bronze in TT: India’s Selena Selvakumar and Shreya Shivakumar clinched two bronze medals at the 2018 Ivory Coast Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Tournament in Abidjan, Africa. Selena settled for the bronze in the junior girls’ singles. Shreya teamed up with China’s Yininghua Hu got a medal in the junior girls’ doubles category of the event which is part of the International Table Tennis Federation.